Chapter 97 Ty #2
The sterile scent of the hospital room burned my nose, and the quiet beeping of machines monitoring Rory’s vital signs assaulted my ears. She looked pale and fragile in the dimly lit room, her eyes barely open, but she was alive and awake.
We didn’t bombard her with questions, as she had just had brain surgery . Shifter healing or not, it was important to give her time to recover. Scott remained at her side, holding her hand gently, his gaze never leaving her face.
It was Rory who broke the silence, her voice weak but determined. “I need to tell you what happened.” She looked at each of us in turn, drawing strength from our presence.
“You don’t have to do this now,” Scott said softly. “You’ve been through so much already.”
She shook her head slightly, winced, then continued. “No, I need to tell you. There were three men. They came into the house and threatened me. They made me text Liza.”
My fists clenched involuntarily, and my wolf rose to the surface, its protective instincts on high alert.
The thought of these men threatening Rory and using her to get to Liza made my blood boil, but I forced myself to remain calm for her sake.
We needed to focus on the information she was giving us, not our emotions.
“Did you recognize any of them?” I asked, hoping for any clue that might lead us to Liza, considering we knew very little about Liam’s whereabouts.
Rory shook her head again, more carefully this time. “No, but one of them seemed familiar. He looked a lot like Liza.”
“Take your time, Rory.” I tried to keep my own impatience in check. “Every detail helps.”
“His eyes,” she said, her gaze distant as if she was reliving the moment. “They were cold and calculating. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was the one who made me send the text—told me that if I didn’t cooperate, they’d hurt Liza.”
“Rory, that man was Liam. He’s Liza’s half-brother,” I said.
“Her half-brother?” Rory’s eyes widened in disbelief. “But… why? Why would he do this to his own sister?”
“Because he doesn’t see her as family.” I growled, digging my nails into the palms of my hands. “He sees her as a pawn in his twisted vendetta against our pack. Against us.”
“Against me, too, it seems.” A shudder passed through Rory’s body. “That explains why he was so adamant about protecting Liza from ‘those people’, as he put it.”
Those people. She was talking about us. Our pack. Our family.
“Rory, what do you mean Liam seemed determined to protect Liza from ‘those people’?” I asked, trying to remain calm.
She looked at me, her eyes still glassy from the anesthesia.
“When the other two men were in the house, Liam was trying to convince me that he could keep Liza safe.
He claimed that the people she was with…
“ She hesitated for a moment, glancing at me with uncertainty. “That they were a danger to her.”
The very idea of someone claiming we were a danger to Liza was preposterous. We had done nothing but care for and protect her since she joined our pack. Yet, there would be no reasoning with Liam. He saw us as his enemies, which was evident in the way he had orchestrated this entire mess.
I clenched my jaw, my teeth grinding together. Dad placed a hand on my shoulder, a silent reminder to stay focused.
“Rory,” he said. “Did Liam say anything else? Anything that might give us a clue as to where he’s taken her?”
Rory shook her head, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry. One of the other men came into the kitchen and grabbed me—he was the one who hurt me, not Liam. I wish I could remember more, but I was so scared. And after Liza appeared, everything happened so fast.”
“We understand,” I said gently. “You’ve been through a lot. Just try to focus on your recovery now.”
Tears welled in Rory’s eyes. “Thank you.”
We left Rory’s hospital room, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to Liam’s actions than just misguided protectiveness. He had some hidden agenda—something that went beyond his apparent vendetta against our family. But what?
Dad drew me from my thoughts. “Liam clearly believes we’re a threat to Liza, and her brothers seem to agree with him.”
“Then, we’ll prove them wrong,” I snapped, unwilling to let their mistrust hinder our mission. “They have no idea how much we love her or how far we’d go to protect her.”
“Damn right,” Dad added.
As soon as we got back to the estate, I jumped out of the car. My heart pounded, each beat only intensifying my need to find Liza. With Dad following closely behind, I burst through the front doors with fury and desperation coursing through my veins.
“Where’s the footage?” I scanned the room for anyone who could help, barely containing my wolf’s growl.
Isaiah looked up from a table, where multiple monitors were set up, displaying security camera feeds from around the house and property. He gestured for me to join him. “We’ve already got it pulled up.”
I rushed to his side, my gaze locking onto the screen that showed Liza being carried away by a stranger, her treacherous brother leading them to a truck. The sight of her limp form in his arms sent a fresh wave of rage surging through me. How could he do this to his own sister?
“Can you zoom in on that truck?”
“Already tried.” The room was silent but for the sound of Isaiah’s fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard as he clicked through different angles of the footage. “We can’t get a clear view of the plates. The streetlights were out..”
“Damn it.” I cursed under my breath as I stared at the blurry image of the vehicle. Every second that passed was an eternity, and it was driving me mad knowing that she was out there, trapped and terrified, while we remained helpless to rescue her.
“Keep looking,” I said, my tone brooking no argument. “There has to be something we can use to track them down.”
Isaiah nodded. “Of course.”
The tension in the room was palpable. Nico approached me, his expression grim. “We’ve been looking into Liam’s properties.” Nico had dark circles under his eyes. “These are a few potential locations.” He spread out a large map marked with red circles across the table.
“Call in a scout team.” I pointed at the locations on the map. “I want eyes on every one of these places, and I want it done discreetly. We can’t risk tipping Liam off.”
“Already started.” Isaiah tapped his cell phone on the table. “The teams are on their way now.”
“I appreciate that.” I gave him a curt nod. My wolf paced within me, eager to hunt down the man who’d taken our mate.
Before I could delve deeper into my thoughts, my phone rang, the sound jarring in the tense atmosphere. I cursed as I glanced at the caller ID. Castro, the bastard.
“Castro,” I said tersely, my mind already racing with questions. “What do you want? I haven’t got time for you right now.”
“A little birdie tells me you're missing someone, and I can’t say I’m happy about it. How could you let her be taken, Ty? You were supposed to protect her. Let me go against my nature and give you a little… help. Liam Petrov has taken Liza. He has a vendetta against the Kellers.”
Hearing Liza’s name from his mouth only served to make my anger and fear flare more intensely. How the fuck had Castro discovered so much already? But I couldn’t let my emotions cloud my judgment. I had to focus on getting her back.
“His hatred for you Kellers runs deep,” Castro continued.
“He has a lot of reasons to hate you and your family, Ty. Like me, he blames them for the fall of the Wylde pack. It’s worse for him because they killed his father, and essentially kidnapped Liza.
Unlike me, he thought she was dead until you pulled your little stunt and put her on national television. ”
His words settled on my chest, making it difficult to breathe. As much as I wanted to lash out at Castro for reminding me of my own guilt, this information was invaluable.
“Thank you.” I forced the words out through gritted teeth. “I appreciate your help.” Ugh, thanking him was fucking gross.
He hesitated before continuing. “Just be careful. Liam is dangerous, and he won’t hesitate to use Liza against you.”
“Why are you telling me this? I would have thought you and Liam were on the same side.”
“Because I hate him, Ty.” Castro’s voice was dark with loathing. “Liam may have a right to be angry with your family, but he’s taken it too far. He’s obsessed with revenge, and he knows how to utilize Liza’s full potential. He doesn’t care who he hurts along the way, including Liza.”
“What do you mean, Liam knows how to utilize Liza’s full potential? What does he want from her?”
“Power,” Castro answered bluntly. “Liza is a weapon whether she realizes it or not. Her latent abilities could be used to wreak havoc on anyone who stands in Liam’s way, and he knows it.”
“We need to find her before Liam can use her against us.” I growled. “We can’t let him win.”
“Agreed. Good luck, Ty.” With that, Castro hung up.
I wasn’t sure what he meant when he said Liza was a weapon, but I needed to find out, because as long as Castro knew more than we did, he was a danger to us all—especially Liza.
As much as I’d have liked to pick apart Castro’s words for their hidden meanings, my mind was already racing with plans and strategies to save Liza.
“Isaiah, Nico.” I turned to face them. “We need to step up our search. We’re dealing with forces beyond our understanding, and time is running out.”
Castro’s words hung like a black cloud in the air as I paced back and forth with questions and fears racing through my mind. The dim lighting in the room cast eerie shadows on the floor, giving an unsettling atmosphere to our already tense situation.
“Ty,” Isaiah began cautiously. “What if Liam knows about you and Liza being fated?”
The thought chilled me to the bone, and I stopped pacing to turn toward him. “I don’t know. It’s possible, but we can’t be sure.”
“Maybe that’s why he took her,” Nico’s brow furrowed in concern. “He could be using her as leverage against you.”
“Or he could be planning something far worse,” I added, my gut twisting. “If he knows how to use her powers, who’s to say he won’t try to control her? To turn her against us?”